


The lucky ones

by Adsagsona



Category: Alexander (2004)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-21
Updated: 2013-02-21
Packaged: 2017-12-03 04:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/694124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adsagsona/pseuds/Adsagsona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is an exhibition on the seven ancient wonders of the world. One of the main attraction is the new hot author everybody only knows as Hephaistion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The lucky ones

**Author's Note:**

> I watched an episode of Cold Case tonight, it was in the 60's and a cop got murdered because he was gay. He had a relationship with another cop and even through all the hardships he called them the lucky ones. That was the inspiration to this little fic.

The exhibition would be grand, better and bigger than anyone had seen before in this modern lifetime. At this very moment, construction workers were rebuilding the seven old wonders of the world, seen through modern eyes.  
A few of them were already finished and within the safe walls of the library of Alexandria, a man stood watching the so-called ancient scrolls which held nothing but modern day paper and a little stuffing of cotton wool.  
At the moment he reached out to touch one of the scrolls, Mr. Lambert came out of his office. He was the supervisor of the exhibition.

“Hello!” He called out to his visitor and he smiled broadly at the man before him. 

Mr. Lambert was quite impressed. He had booked a new author on the rise to read out of his books at this exhibition, because it told the tale of one Alexander the Great, the founder of Alexandria. Since the lighthouse of Alexandria was one of the seven world wonders, Mr. Lambert had fought at the council to see the library of the same city come to life at the exhibition too. They stood together nicely and the man who now watched him would be one of the main attractions of the library.

Hephaistion.

The author only went by this pseudonym, there was no other name on record. He hated it when his photo got taken, mostly hid behind his long hair if possible and did not go out in public much. He refused all interviews, saying that his books spoke for themselves.  
The man was a marvel, Mr. Lambert had to admit, and Hephaistion had only agreed to this because he got to design the library. Mr. Lambert was happy that he had given the permission because it looked exquisite.

“How do you find the handiwork, Mr. Hephaistion?” He now asked and the blue eyes which had seemed to want to look into his soul, now gazed around the replica of the library and Hephaistion gave a short nod.

“I am sure the audience is going to love it.” His voice was soft, he would have to speak up to get the audience to listen to him, but Mr. Lambert believed that they would be silenced for the tales this man had to tell. They were so lifelike, like he had been there, by Alexander the Great’s side.

“About that audience, Mr. Hephaistion, how many would you like to have by your side at one of your readings? The library is quite grand and…”

“One person.” Hephaistion interrupted.

Mr. Lambert almost fainted at the answer. “One… one person at a time, do you mean? The waiting lines will be awfully long, Mr. Hephaistion and…”

“No. I will tell my story to one person only. The one who can tell me what Hephaistion’s last words were to Alexander at his deathbed.”

Mr. Lambert frowned. “But Alexander had his back turned to Hephaistion when the man died. That was in your books.”

Hephaistion chuckled softly. “So you have read them, Mr. Lambert?”

“They are very well written, Mr. Hephaistion, or you wouldn’t be here. But what you are asking of me now is too much. Anyone who have read the book could tell you the answer and then we would have to find some kind of lottery.”

Mr. Lambert was already going over it in his mind, trying to find a way to either talk Hephaistion out of this or to set up some lottery with someone who got the main prize, getting a private moment with the author Hephaistion.

“Hephaistion’s last words are not in the book, Mr. Lambert. I believe there is only one person in this world who might know them, if he is around that is.”

Hephaistion looked at the supervisor and took pity on him, gesturing for the both of them to sit down in the comfortable chairs the library provided for the guests who would be visitors within the next couple of days.

“I will record my voice reading out some passage of my book. Make a game out of it to guess what the last words of Hephaistion were. I don’t know how you could do it, but I would rather hear them say it than them writing it on a piece of paper. Perhaps you can let them make a recording by the time they leave the library.”

“You would listen to all of these recordings?” Mr. Lambert asked.

This Hephaistion was a very strange man, but since he would be one of the lead attactions he would indulge him. In the end, it would be quite something to make a whole competition of it and to see just how much people wanted to win a meeting with the author. So he said yes to the challenge of making this happen in a few days time.

“I will send you the recordings, Mr. Lambert. We will stay in touch?” Hephaistion asked as he reached out his hand for Mr. Lamber to shake it. 

“Can I ask you something, Mr. Hephaistion?” He ventured.

“Of course.” Hephaistion replied as he stayed in place, ready to go home.

“Who are you? Really? Nobody can hide their identity this well, not in this day and age. And why chose a name like Hephaistion? Why not Alexander himself?”

Hephaistion laughed softly and shook his head.

“I know there are not many records left, Mr. Lambert, but the thought of me being Alexander the Great is hilarious. His deeds exceeds us all and perhaps, if he had been more careful, he would not have become a legend, but just an old King. Now, thousands of years later we still remember him. I could never be Alexander.”

The poise of the man before him gave Mr. Lambert a faint idea, which was impossible. The man stood up straight, not like the modern day youngster although he estimated the man somewhere in his mid-thirties. “How did Alexander say it himself?” Mr. Lambert then asked. “He too is Alexander?”  
Hephaistion didn’t answer, gave a faint smile and made his way out of the library and into the great hall, vanishing from sight.

As he had promised, Hephaistion had the voice recordings delivered for in the library. Mr. Lambert, so busy with everything surrounding the exhibition, did not think again about his strange meeting with the author and tried his best to arrange the competition. A voice box was installed at the end of the library, a sort of telephone booth were everyone could step in and make a guess at Hephaistion’s last words.

Hephaistion did as he had told Mr. Lambert. Late at night, after his writing sessions for his new book, he took out the USB stick Mr. Lambert delivered to him every day and he put it on his computer, setting the speakers up and laying down on his couch to listen to the mostly giggling girls and some giggling boys too, shouting out some random words to him. He had to admit that some people actually did an effort, mostly those who were interested in history and loved the story of Alexander. He smiled every time one of those romantic souls came across and recorded some fluffy message.

“But you’re all wrong.” He whispered softly to himself.

The exhibition was a grand success and people came in by the hundreds every day, the voice box had such a line that Mr. Lambert ordered to set up a second one, but still nobody had said the magic words. Hephaistion grew more and more anxious every day, he knew that somebody had to be out there he knew them. He was here, wasn’t he?

Mr. Lambert called him up one night, saying that they had to close the competition by the next day and that somebody had to be picked.

“It’s only fair, Mr. Hephaistion. Take someone who you think was closest. We need to be honest about this and give the man or woman their prize, no?”

“I will, Mr. Lambert. Just one more day and then I will.” Hephaistion said with clear disappointment in his voice. When he clicked the off button to his cellphone he decided to change his number so that Mr. Lambert would not be able to track him down, or give his number to journalists.

The last day of the exhibition, the last USB stick in his hands, Hephaistion went to his computer, this time put on his earphones and closed his eyes. A number of random comments filtered through the earphones and then suddenly, it was there. Hephaistion bolted upright, shifted through the memory of the stick until he found what he had been looking for. A name.

The next morning Hephaistion travelled back to the museum where the exhibition pieces were already being packed up again. Mr. Lambert wanted to get this exhibition on the move, literally, to let it travel around the world on its own. Hephaistion said that he would not be a part of it again, but that they could use his recordings.

“Mr. Hephaistion? The young man whom you have picked is at the library, like you requested.” The nice lady at the reception smiled at him and Hephaistion gave a friendly nod before heading to the library. His hands trembled and he had the odd feeling to want to hurry up and get there.

The man sat down near the voice box, looking up at it. His hair was a dirty blonde and Hephaistion’s heart started to race. When the man turned around deep brown eyes bore into Hephaistion’s blue ones and the both of them smiled.

“Hephaistion?” The man asked.

“Yes.” Hephaistion answered softly as he took a few steps closer. The man did the same until they were almost toe to toe.

“Say it one more time for me, please.” Hephaistion stated and the man obliged.

“We are the lucky ones.” 

Hephaistion cupped the man’s cheeks and looked him in the eyes. “It is you. Alexander. You are the only one who could know this.”

“It’s Alex now. You have been searching for me.”

“For a very long time.” 

Alex leaned in and kissed Hephaistion gently on the lips and then pulled him closer. “I knew this would get your attention. You’ve always been one for drama.” Hephaistion chuckled.

“I just missed you, Hephaistion… and when you asked me something which the world didn’t know, I knew it was you.”

They left the building side by side, Alex throwing an arm over Hephaistion’s shoulder.  
Nobody ever heard from them again. Hephaistion’s last book was never finished and when his publisher came to find him, he found the apartment empty, the cellphone a dead end and the e-mail disconnected.

Mr. Lambert heard the news a few days after through the radio and he smiled softly. “So it was you after all, Mr. Hephaistion.” He mumbled to himself.


End file.
